Mandrake

A Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a magical plant with a root that looks like a small, ugly human. Its cry can be fatal, but once mature, it forms the essential ingredient in the Mandrake Restorative Draught, a powerful antidote used to revive those who have been petrified.

• Type: Magical Plant
• Primary Property: Restorative
• Notable Feature: A fatal or stupefying cry
• Known Cultivators: Professor Sprout, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Mandrake has a tufty, purplish-green top that looks quite ordinary. Its defining feature is its root, which resembles a small, lumpy, and rather ugly human baby. The plant progresses through a distinct life cycle that mimics human development.

1. Seedling/Infant: In its earliest stage, the Mandrake root is like an infant. It is at this stage that its cry is most dangerous; hearing it without protection is fatal. Students handling them in Herbology must wear earmuffs.
2. Adolescent: As the Mandrakes mature, they become more active and develop personalities. Professor Sprout described them as becoming moody and secretive, and even noted they would throw parties. At this stage, their cry is no longer fatal but will knock a person unconscious for several hours.
3. Mature: The final stage of maturity is reached when the Mandrakes begin trying to move into each other's pots. At this point, they are ready to be harvested for use in Potion-making.

The Mandrake possesses powerful and dangerous magical properties, centered around its restorative essence and its cry.

• Mandrake Restorative Draught: The most important use of a mature Mandrake is as the key ingredient in the Mandrake Restorative Draught. This potent Potion is the only known cure for reversing certain powerful dark curses and Transfiguration, including the Petrification caused by the gaze of a Basilisk.
• The Mandrake Cry: The plant's cry is its primary defense mechanism. The effect of the cry depends on the plant's maturity:
  • Infant Cry: Fatal to anyone who hears it unprotected.
  • Mature Cry: Causes anyone who hears it unprotected to fall into a deep unconsciousness for several hours.
• Weaponization: As demonstrated during the Battle of Hogwarts, mature Mandrakes can be used as makeshift magical weapons. When thrown, their stupefying cries can effectively incapacitate multiple enemies at once.

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Mandrakes are central to the plot. After the Basilisk begins petrifying students and other residents of Hogwarts, including Mrs Norris, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick, Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione Granger, Professor Sprout is tasked with nurturing a new crop of Mandrakes to maturity. The time required for the plants to grow creates sustained tension throughout the school year, as the victims cannot be revived until the Mandrake Restorative Draught can be brewed.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: During the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom and Professor Sprout lead a group of students in defending the castle by lobbing mature Mandrakes over the battlements at the advancing Death Eaters. This creative use of Herbology showcases how seemingly academic knowledge can be turned into an effective defensive measure.

The magical Mandrake of the wizarding world is heavily inspired by real-world folklore surrounding the mandrake plant (Mandragora officinarum). For centuries, legends claimed the root had a human shape and would let out a bloodcurdling scream when unearthed, killing anyone who heard it. In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the infant Mandrakes are shown as highly animated creatures that wriggle, squirm, and cry piercingly when Harry Potter and his classmates repot them in Professor Sprout's Herbology class. (film)